Equipment for removing the inedible outer layers of garlic cloves has generally been unsatisfactory. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,254 attempts to remove the inedible skin by using pressurized air. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,672 uses an abrasive rotary disk. In general, however, particularly for manually removing the skin from a clove of garlic, the conventional technique is to use a knife to cut open the skin and peel the skin off the firm meat.